The five maintenance calls we get most, and what to try first

Five calls make up most of Sea Dog's maintenance queue: an air conditioner not cooling, a running toilet or slow drain, a garbage disposal that hums or does nothing, a chirping smoke detector, and no hot water or an appliance that quit. Each has a safe first step that takes under ten minutes. If what you have is fire, flooding, a gas smell, sewage or no water, skip this article and call the number at the bottom of this page.

Is this an emergency, or a portal request?

Call the number at the bottom of this page for fire or smoke (call 9-1-1 first), active flooding or a burst pipe, a gas smell (leave the home, then call from outside), sewage backing up, no water, or electrical sparking. A dead air conditioner in summer heat is urgent too, so call.

Everything else goes through the resident portal, the Resident Login link at the top of this site. A good request has the symptom, what you already tried, when it started, and a photo or short video. Say whether we may enter if you are not home; F.S. 83.53 requires at least 24 hours' notice for a repair visit, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., except in an emergency.

What should I try first when the AC is not cooling?

Most warm-air calls end at step 3.

1. Set the thermostat to Cool and the fan to Auto, with the setpoint at least 5 degrees below the room temperature. Replace the batteries if the screen is dim.
2. Look at the indoor unit and the copper lines. If you see ice, turn the system off at the thermostat now and let it thaw for 1 to 4 hours. Running it frozen can destroy the compressor.
3. Pull the air filter. If it is gray or sagging, replace it with the same size and rating. A clogged filter is the most common cause.
4. Open every supply vent and move anything blocking the large return grille.
5. Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, stop and submit a request.
6. Clear leaves and fronds from a 2 to 3 foot radius around the outdoor unit. Do not open it.

If the air is still warm an hour later, submit the request; the full version, with the vinegar drain-line flush, is in the air conditioner guide. Who pays depends on your lease; see our HVAC post.

Key point: Ice on the coil means off, not colder. Turn the system off, change the filter, wait for the thaw, then decide.

What about a running toilet or a slow drain?

A toilet that trickles or refills on its own has three parts that matter: the flapper, the chain and the fill valve. Lift the tank lid and check that the chain has 1 to 2 links of slack. If water is spilling into the overflow tube, adjust the float so the water sits about an inch below the top of the tube. Then put a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait 15 to 30 minutes without flushing, and look at the bowl; color there means the flapper leaks, a routine request. Water on the floor around the base is different: stop using that toilet and submit a request today. See the running toilet guide.

For a slow drain, first run water in other fixtures. One slow drain is a local clog; two or more at once, or a toilet that gurgles when the sink drains, is a main-line problem: stop running water and submit an urgent request. For a single fixture, pull the stopper and remove the hair, try half a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar and a hot-water flush, then a cup plunger. Never use a chemical drain cleaner; they damage pipes, burn skin and most Sea Dog leases prohibit them. See the clogged drains guide.

Why did the garbage disposal stop, and is it safe to fix?

Never put your hand inside a disposal, on or off. The fix depends on the sound. Silence means no power: re-seat the plug under the sink, reset the kitchen breaker once, then press the small red reset button on the bottom of the unit until it clicks. A hum with no grinding means a jam: turn the wall switch and the breaker off, fit a quarter-inch Allen wrench into the hex hole on the bottom of the unit, and rock it back and forth until it spins freely, then press reset. A unit that ran for a second and stopped overheated: wait 10 minutes, press reset and try again with cold water running. Anything leaking, smoking or re-tripping the breaker is a request. The garbage disposal guide lists what to keep out of it.

What about a chirping smoke detector, no hot water or a dead appliance?

A single chirp every 30 to 60 seconds is almost always a low battery. A continuous loud pattern is an alarm: get everyone out, call 9-1-1 from outside, and do not go back in. For a chirp, read the manufacture date on the back; ten years or older means replacement, so submit a request. Otherwise put in a fresh battery, hold the test button for 15 to 20 seconds, then press test once. A sealed unit with no battery door needs replacing; never remove or cover an alarm to quiet it. See the smoke detector guide.

No hot water on an electric heater is often a tripped breaker; reset it once. If it is still cold an hour later, or there is water around the tank base, submit a request and, for a leak, close the cold supply valve on top of the tank. Do not work on a gas water heater yourself; a gas smell means leave and call. The no hot water guide walks through it. For any other appliance, check the plug, the GFCI reset and the breaker once, then the troubleshooting library.

What does Florida law make the landlord fix, and what is on me?

F.S. 83.51(1) requires the landlord to comply with building, housing and health codes, or where none apply, to keep the roofs, windows, doors, floors, steps, porches, exterior walls, foundations and all structural components in good repair, keep the plumbing in reasonable working condition, and install screens at move-in. For units other than a single-family home or duplex, F.S. 83.51(2) adds extermination, locks and keys, clean common areas, garbage removal, heat in winter, running water and hot water. At the start of a single-family or duplex tenancy, the landlord must install working smoke detectors. Air conditioning is not on the statutory list; it is in your lease.

F.S. 83.51(4) adds that the landlord is not responsible for conditions caused by the tenant's negligence or wrongful act, so a disposal jammed with bones, a drain clogged by wipes, or a coil frozen under a never-changed filter can be charged to you under the lease. Your side in a typical Sea Dog lease is specific: change the filter monthly, keep smoke detector batteries fresh, use drain strainers, keep chemical cleaners and tank tablets out of the plumbing, and report problems early. If something on the landlord's list goes unfixed, put it in writing; F.S. 83.56(1) gives a tenant remedies only after written notice and 7 days.

What this means in Central Florida and on the Space Coast

Orlando's morning humidity averages 88% across the year and 91% in August and September, according to the Florida Climate Center, which is why the drain line and the filter cause most inland AC calls. On the coast, from Cape Canaveral to Melbourne Beach, salt air corrodes the outdoor unit, so a monthly low-pressure rinse of the exterior fins helps. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and the days after a storm bring two predictable calls: smoke detectors chirping after the outage drained their backup batteries, and drains backing up from an overwhelmed municipal sewer. Both are requests unless sewage is coming up inside the home.

Next step

Try the first step for your symptom, then submit the request through the resident portal with what you saw and what you tried. When your lease ends, the same habits, a clean filter, fresh batteries and clear drains, are items on the move-out checklist.